Collapsible Backpacking Oven Assembly With Hinged Flat-Pack Panels
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a lightweight, portable, and collapsible cooking device suitable for backpacking that can be easily assembled and disassembled without loose parts, and that allows for baking of foods like pizzas, biscuits, and muffins in wilderness areas where open fires are prohibited.
Innovation Solution
A cooking device with a center assembly, front panel, and top panel that are hingedly connected, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly, featuring a diffuser plate, cooking surface, and vents, and can be collapsed into a flat configuration for storage, with minimal loose parts and a handle for convenience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the cooking device is made collapsible to reduce storage space, then the device can be transported in a backpack, but the assembly process becomes complicated with multiple loose parts
Solution Approach 1:
The cooking device is divided into modular components (center assembly, front panel, top panel) that can be collapsed independently. Each panel is segmented into foldable sections connected by hinges, allowing the entire device to be collapsed into a compact flat configuration for backpack storage while maintaining simple assembly through standardized connection interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple functional components are merged into integrated assemblies. The center assembly combines the firebox, support legs, and rear panel into a single unit. The front panel integrates the door, vent controls, and cooking surface access. This merging reduces the number of separate loose parts that need to be assembled while maintaining collapsibility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the cooking device includes multiple loose parts for functionality, then cooking versatility is improved, but the risk of losing parts increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into three main panels (center, front, top) that are connected through hinges and removable fasteners. This segmentation allows each panel to be independently assembled and disassembled, reducing the number of small loose parts while maintaining cooking versatility through the modular configuration of vents, doors, and cooking surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
Standardized intermediaries such as hinges and removable fasteners are used to connect panels. These intermediaries serve as reliable connection points that are easy to attach and detach, reducing the risk of losing parts while enabling versatile cooking configurations. The intermediaries act as mediators between panels, allowing easy assembly without numerous small components.
3Volume of moving object
If the device is designed to collapse flat for backpack storage, then portability is improved, but the assembly time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The panels are pre-configured with hinge connections and alignment features during manufacturing. The center assembly is pre-assembled with the firebox and support structure integrated. This preliminary action ensures that when the user receives the device, the panels can be quickly connected without requiring complex assembly steps, reducing assembly time while maintaining compact storage capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is segmented into three main panels that can be independently collapsed and stored. Each panel is self-contained with its own hinge connections, allowing users to assemble only the necessary portions for their cooking needs. This segmentation enables quick assembly by simply connecting panels at predetermined hinge points without requiring complex procedures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device provides a compact, lightweight cooking solution that can be easily assembled and disassembled, allowing for versatile cooking options while minimizing the risk of losing parts, and can be stored in a small space, such as a backpack.
Implementation Method 1
The center assembly includes a rear panel and a pair of opposing side panels that are hingedly connected to the rear panel
Implementation Method 2
A diffuser plate may be carried by the center assembly when the center assembly is in the expanded position
Implementation Method 3
The side panels include a plurality of vents
Data Source
AI summary
A cooking device comprises a center assembly including a rear panel and a pair of opposing side panels hingedly connected to the rear panel. The center assembly may be movable between an expanded position and a collapsed position. The cooking device also includes a front panel, a top panel and a diffuser plate carried by the center assembly when the center assembly is in the expanded position, and a cooking surface carried by the center assembly when the center assembly is in the expanded position. The center assembly, front panel, top panel, diffuser plate and cooking surface collapsed so that the center assembly, front panel, top panel, diffuser plate and cooking surface may be transported in a substantially flat configuration.